A review by everyatom
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The way that the Grapes of Wrath moves as a story is unlike anything else I remember reading. The story makes the reader feel the abrupt pain of
losing the family members that walk off, leave, or die
. It never feels whole or complete or like those characters'
endings
were justified. Because they weren't. And the folks they left behind weren't able to
get closure or process the absence of their loved ones. I mourned not only the characters as well as how their family was deprived of proper mourning
.

I felt the big swell of the message. Where the Joads' story and pains
got continually harsher, slimmer, and harder to comprehend
the message of the book becomes stronger and more epic in scope. The chapters between the story of the Joads' were so important to help the reader get that scope and to see the place of the Joads in the larger, unfair system. 

I'll be thinking of this book for years. Can almost guarantee. Just sits deeply in me and feels magnificent in scope, message, and pain. 
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